Method of making lubricating fittings



July 28, 153 A. L. STALEY 2,546,614

METHOD OF MAKING LUBRICATING FITTIN Original Filed Dec. 8, 1947 INVENTOR AUSTIN L. STALEY Patented July 28, 1953 TENT rsic METHOll OF MAKING LUBRICATING FITTINGS Austinr L... Staley; Fox. Chapeh. Pa assignor-ctd- Universal. Lubricating Systems, Inc.,.v Oakmont Pa., a.-corporationof Delaware Gontinuation of abandoned application Seri'al Nm.

This: application.

August 1 8, 1948;. Serial No. 44,1183

1. Claim... (01. 29-45 This-invention relates to 1 a. method; of making-i a lubricating fitting:v 'I'hisapplication is a:.con-- tinuationyof. my copending; application. Serial No.

790375 filed-December: 8-,,1947, now abandoned...

as an automobile bearing, the'attachment being? eifected;in: :vario1.1s ways, usually eitherby screwing. thes'fitting "into: a drilled :andxtapped' bore communicatingwith the. bearingor'driving the fittinginto a drilled but untapped bore communicating with: the bearing. Inleither casetthe fitting has a lubricant delivery passage extending throughit to :deliver lubricantinto: the bore, the opposite terminus of r the" lubricant delivery passage being in the tip. The. tip is. adapted: to; have the couplingof. a lubricant. compressor applied to itto deliver lubricant. underpressure which passes through the fitting to. the. bore communicating with the bearing.

I haverdevised'a'method of making a lubricating fitting comprising the steps including forming a fitting body having aheadi atone end andza shank at the other, drilling a passagethrough the shank and into the head, forming a tip for said body, forminga countersink in one end of said tip, welding said'one end of the tip-to said headand drilling a passage-through said tip and into the a.

head intersecting said first mentioned passage:

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of'a present preferredmethod ofprac ticingthe same proceeds.

In the'acoompanying drawingl have illustrated a present preferred method of practicing the invention in' which'the figure is a central'secti'on through one form of angle fitting made inaccordance with my'invention.

A specific way which: lubricating fittings of the angle ty e: have heretofore been made i by turning out the fitting body comprising a base,v a

shank and a head' from hexagonal" stock one. screw machine or by cold-heading any suitable stock. The tip has been made separately on a screw machine and attached to the head or outer end of the body by screwing it into a tapped hole therein which has been drilled so as to be disposed at the desired angle. According to manual practic this requires that each fitting body, after being made on a screw machine or heading machine, be separately chucked by hand in a drill press, spot-drilled, finish-drilled an tapped. The body must then be set by hand in an assembly fix- 2'; ture: to. receive.- a tin from.-a..fitting guide... after which the. tip. is turned. home by power. means A specialmachine set-up isthus requiredin the case of both; drilling and-=assembling. o1t erations..for

every different-angle between. the axes of. thetip and body. This fact and theuse of. hexagonal; stocktend to makecthecostof angle fittings quite? high relative to. the cost. of. ordinary fittings There is a'limit, furthermore; to. the. maximum angle. obtainable between the tipv and 'body under... the practice heretofore obtaining and angle fit.-- tingshave been" made. in: only a relatively, few.- standardrangles, e. g., 301 45, 6.0 and 90F My- *invention eliminates the costly machining. operations mentioned2a-bove and makes itposa sibleto produce fittings of. both. the. angle type.

and the straight. type from. round stock. by 001d? forming "operations,. the only machining necessary being. drilling and-rollinginthe-base of thefitting. the-threads, if used, for fastening thefitting to.

th part to; be lubricated. I- may, for example,

provide. a piece of round stock, eithersolid or. drilled, and: cold-head. the stock to form asbod y. including ahexagonal :base or nutportion for en.-

' gagement' by a-wrench, a shankv and-a suitably shaped' head. If 1 solid stock. is usedit isadrilled,

after heading to: provide. a. central passage through.

the body. Alternatively, the body-may be. made:

on aiscrew machine: as heretoforefrom hexagonal, stock.. A tip istmade similarly, either. by coldheading or on a screwmachine, but withoutthe usual baseror'nutportion orv the-threadedstud for:screwing-intoithevbodyl The body isitheni placed in .as-uitable: fixture. or supportthe tip..is.. bonded; to: the head-:thereof anda. hole, is drilled shaped'to cooperate and preferably'to permita variation in the position ofthe tiprelative to the body; The body; for'example; may have a recess-- or socket adapted to receive the tip and the base of the tip may be rounded so as to assume various angles with respect to the body. Conversely, the body may have a rounded or ball-shaped head and the tip a seat in its base shaped to fit thereon.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, a fitting made according to my invention, indicated generally at l 0, comprises a body I l and a tip l2. The body has a base l3 of hexagon shape, a ball head I l and a threaded shank or stud IS. A reduced neck I6 is formed between the head and base.

The body has a longitudinal passage I'I drilled thereinto from the stud end. The tip l2 has a head 18, a neck I9 and a base 26. The head is ada ted to be gripped by the jaws of a conventional coupler. The tip is drilled axially as at 2| and has its base counterbored as at 22.

As already stated. the body I I and tip 12 may be made by cold-forming round stock in automatic machines provided with suitable dies, or the body may be made on screw machines. In the latter case, the body must be turned from hexagonal stock to provide the nut portion 13. In either case, the tip has its base shaped to afford a seat 23 conforming to the shape of the head l4. By virtue thereof, the tip may be shifted to any desired angular position relative to the body, within a wide range. When the body and tip have been assembled in the desired relation, a bond therebetween is effected, preferably by electric welding, as indicated at 24.

The welding may be carried out on any suitable machine designed for projection-welding by the electrical-resistance method. By this method, the contacting surfaces of the body and tip are heated to fusion and pressed together, thereby rendering them integral, and free from any semblance of a joint which might permit leakage. The counterbore 22 prevents flash resulting from the weld from closing the passage through the tip and keeps the flash away from the center thereof where it might interfere with the final drilling operation which is all that remains to complete the fitting. To this end, a drill is introduced through the passage 2| in the tip l2 to form a hole 25 in the head IA of the body I I, intersecting the passage I! therethrough. This drilling may be done as the second operation on the welding machine if a dial-type machine is employed. It will be evident that, when the tip has been attached at the desired angle, it serves as a guide for the drill which forms the bore 25 and that the latter is thus co-axial with the passage 2 l, whatever the position of the tip with respect to the body I I. It will be understood that the fitting may, if desired, be provided with the usual ball check valve and supporting spring in the known manner before or after the bonding of the tip to the body. In such case, the passage ll will be counterbored to form a seat for the ball.

Before final attachment of the tip to the body, the ball head I4 and the seat 23 constitute a balland-socket joint permitting universal movement therebetween. As a result, the tip may be spotted in any desired location on the spherical surface of the head. Instead of welding the tip to the body, I may braze it thereto or bond it by a suitable adhesive for uniting metal parts. Several such adhesives are well known and in common use. In any event, the fitting described may be installed in the same way as angle fittings known previously, and the tip thereof disposed in the position most convenient for engagement by the coupler jaws. Free flow of grease into the bearing is permitted regardless of the angle at which the tip is disposed.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that my invention is characterized by numerous advantages over methods of making fittings known previously. In the first place, the invention makes possible the manufacture of angle fittings at a lower cost than heretofore. This results from the use of cheaper stock and the reduction in the amount of metal used, by reason of the elimination of the shank and nut of the tip. Further economy results from the reduction in the amount of machining and the substitution of simpler and quicker operations than those necessary under conventional manufacturing method. Less precision is required in both the machining and assembly, and the speed of both operations is thus increased. As an example, the final drilling after assembly of the body and tip, where necessary, is

done very quickly by speed drillers chucked on the tip so that no change of fixtures is necessary for fittings having their tips at different angles.

The bonding of the tip to the body provides an integral, leakproof connection. If welding is employed, the tip becomes inseparable from the body. In any case, a permanent joint results, under all ordinary conditions.

While I have illustrated a present preferred method of practicing the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously practiced within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

In a method of making a lubricating fitting, the steps including forming a fitting body having a head at one end and a shank at the other, drilling a passage through the shank and into the head, forming a tip for said body, forming a countersink in one end of said tip, welding said one end of the tip to said head and drilling a passage through said tip and into the head intersecting said first-mentioned passage.

AUSTIN L. STALEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 599,493 Clegg Feb. 22, 1898 982,463 Bennett Jan. 24, 1911 1,146,664 Stockstrom July 13, 1915 1,210,692 Possons Jan. 2, 1917 1,655,213 Zerk Jan. 3, 1928 1,692,320 Zerk Nov. 20, 1928 1,899,626 Miller Feb. 28, 1933 2,069,153 Konkle Jan. 26, 1937 2,254,503 Thomas Sept. 2, 1941 2,334,755 Eglinton Nov. 23, 1943 2,410,480 Davis Nov. 5, 1946 2,566,505 Staley Sept. 4, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Alemite Products Equipment and Parts Catalogue, issued June 1932, page 24. 

